Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [167]
The intriguing sundial measures time, as well as the lengths of the days and nights for each date.
FLEISCHMARKT & AROUND
North of the Hauptmarkt is the Fleischmarkt, the old meat market, dominated by the Dom St Petri. This is the only Simultankirche in eastern Germany, meaning it serves both Catholics and Protestants. When the Reformation reached Bautzen in 1524, both congregations agreed to share the church, with the Protestants holding services in the nave and the Catholics in the choir. There’s a waist-high iron grating separating the two – although it was 4m high until 1952! The spire can be climbed for a small donation.
The Fleischmarkt is also home to the Bautzner Senfladen (Bautzen Mustard Shop; 597 118; Fleischmarkt 5; 10am-7pm), where you can buy Bautzen’s most famous relish and view a free exhibition on mustard production.
North of the square, a lane leads down to the Nicolaiturm tower and a cemetery cradled by the romantically ruined Nicolaikirche, which was destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War. Notice the Sorb inscriptions on many of the headstones.
SCHLOSS ORTENBURG
Further west is Schloss Ortenburg, on a strategic cliff-top spot that’s been occupied by a series of castles since the 7th century. You enter the complex through the late-Gothic Matthiasturm (Matthias Tower), named for the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus who ruled over the region in the late 15th century – he’s depicted on horseback as a monumental relief on the tower.
The main palace houses a regional courthouse and is closed to the public. A smaller one, off the courtyard, contains the absorbing Sorbisches Museum ( 424 03; adult/concession €2.50/1.50; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar), with collections and displays on absolutely every aspect of Sorb history and culture, including a fascinating walk-through section on the history of the Sorbs in the 20th century.
Across the square is Bautzen’s shamefully incongruous theatre, whose saving grace is the detailed neoclassical sandstone frieze that’s been incorporated into the facade. Sculpted by Ernst Rietschel in 1804, it depicts the tragedy of Orest from Ancient Greek mythology and originally adorned the now-destroyed Hoftheater in Dresden.
BAUTZEN PRISONS
It seems incongruous that this pretty, historical town has been known as Gefängnisstadt (prison town) for over a century. The first facility, Bautzen I, a yellow-brick structure from 1904, gained such notoriety under the Nazis and later the Soviets that it earned the moniker Gelbes Elend (Yellow Misery). Completely modernised, it’s still used as a correctional facility today.
South of town is Bautzen II, which became a Stasi prison in GDR times. Many famous regime opponents – including Rudolf Bahro, who later co-founded the Green Party in West Germany – served their sentences here. Left exactly as it was in the late 1980s, it’s now a Gedenkstätte (memorial site; 404 74; www.gedenkstaette-bautzen.de; Weigangstrasse 8a; admission free; 10am-4pm Tue-Sun) for the victims of political oppression.
OTHER SIGHTS
Slavophiles should head for the Serbski Dom (Sorb Cultural Centre; 421 05; Postplatz 2; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri) with heaps of information on Sorb-related events, a free exhibition and souvenir shop.
South of the Schloss the Alte Wasserkunst ( 415 88; adult/concession €2/1.50; 10am-5pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Nov-Mar) is a tower containing an ingenious and fully functional late-medieval pumping station.
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Sleeping
DJH hostel ( 403 47; www.bautzen.jugendherberge.de; Am Zwinger 1; dm under/over 27yr €18.80/22.30; ) The local hostel has a fairy-tale location in the old ramparts behind the Domstift.
Alte Gerberei ( 272 390; www.hotel-alte-gerberei.de; Uferweg 1; s/d €49/67; ) You’ll find Old European charm galore in this historic eight-room pension right by the river. The flower-filled courtyard, the river-facingrooms and the wine restaurant are great for unwinding.
Schloss-Sch